War Thunder: PLZ83-130 + Historical Reference

Welcome to the vehicle reward for the Inferno Cannon event, the Chinese PLZ83-130 tank destroyer! Unlike the PLZ83 that you may be familiar with, this new vehicle is armed with a long-barreled 130 mm cannon, turning it from a high-explosive slinger into an effective armor-piercing weapon. Let’s take a look!

The Type 83/PLZ83 was the first mass-produced self-propelled artillery vehicle entirely developed and produced by the Chinese military industry. Development started in 1979, where testing of new self-propelled guns was completed at the end of 1983, and mass production began at the same time. In the late 80s, NORINCO announced the release of an export version of the PLZ83 self-propelled gun. The main differences of this modification were the 130 mm PL59A Gai gun instead of the 152 mm howitzer and a different sight. The export PLZ83-130 was not in demand by potential customers and was not mass produced.

PLZ83-130: An Event Vehicle Tank Destroyer for China at Rank V

Features:

Excellent armor penetration values.
HE-VT shell.
Average mobility.
Low survivability.

What’s the main advantage of this tank? Its devastating “inferno” cannon. This nearly 7-meter-long gun fires different types of ammunition, with the main one being the great Soviet BR-482B armor-piercing round, found on the IS-7 and Object 279. This round can penetrate more than 300 mm and contains a large explosive charge as well that provides excellent post-pen damage. The next shell in this tank’s arsenal is the HE-VT, an ideal choice against aircraft! Most of the PLZ83-130’s shells and charges are stored at the back of the turret, from where the self-propelled gun reaches a rate of fire of 5 rounds per minute when reloading.

However, it’s the turret ammunition storage area and the dense layout of the fighting compartment that are the weak points of the PLZ83-130. This vehicle has bulletproof armor and is easily penetrated by autocannons, including ones from aircraft. It’s also quite large and clearly visible both from the ground and from the air. Keep this in mind, as when you’re shot at by opponents, they’ll most likely hit your turret ammunition rack ensuring that you’re sent back to the hangar. The low survivability of these types of vehicles means you’ll need good terrain and map awareness and proceed with caution around the battle.

All-in-all though, the PLZ83-130 is a very interesting vehicle that’ll be an excellent addition to the higher ranks of China. You’re able to obtain this vehicle in the Inferno Cannon event that just started today, April 24th! Complete simple stages just by playing in random ground battles to get this vehicle after 7 stages.